What might a typical work day look like for a home caregiver? Perhaps it is most accurate to say there is not a typical day in the life of a senior caregiver. Many home health aides choose to work in senior home care specifically because the cases/clients/tasks can vary so much. You may work with one client who has round-the-clock home health care and so you may have a routine with a client you stay with five days/week. Or, you may have several clients you care for, providing different support and help with tasks. Working with elderly and ill clients, you may experience a client who goes to the hospital or moves to assisted living, so your caseload may then change.

Some of the common duties of a home caregiver include:

Helping maintain the home-assisting the client with light housekeeping and household duties such as making the bed, vacuuming, and doing laundry.

Preparing meals for the client. Sometimes you will be with a client for meal time and help to cook the meal as well as provide companionship. Other times, clients may hire a home caregiver for senior meal preparation specifically and you might shop for ingredients and prepare several meals for the client to heat up later.

Providing senior transportation and running errands. The home caregiver often shops for (or with) the client, picks up supplies and prescriptions and takes the client to doctor’s appointments and activities.

Personal care. Florida home health agency rules regulate who can provide hands-on (personal) care. A home health aide or nursing assistant receives the necessary training on safe techniques to assist clients with activitis of daily living such as bathing, dressing, and getting up and down from bed or a chair. A home caregiver who meets the home health aide or nursing assistant qualifications may visit a client specifically to help him/her with a morning or evening routine such as getting out of bed, shaving/bathing, and dressing as well as tasks like preparing a meal and making the bed. EasyLiving offers a “Wake up/Tuck in” service for clients who need someone to come in the morning and evening to help with these tasks, but do not need care all day.

When you are considering hiring a home caregiver for an elderly parent, think about the type of tasks that need to be done and this will create the basis for the care plan and job duties. One of the nice things about in-home senior care is that the duties can be structured around your loved one’s routine and preferences. For more about this, you may want to read our article on Personal Home Care Plans.